Mass. inspector accuses Dobelle of improper spending, lying

Former University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle, shown on his first day on the job in 2001, threatened to sue the University of Hawaii before he resigned in 2004.

The Massachusetts state inspector issued a detailed report Thursday accusing former University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle of improperly spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of Westfield State University foundation and university funds, and making false statements to the foundation board to justify his "improper actions and wasteful spending."

In addition to personal trips to San Francisco and international destinations, Dobelle's spending included payin $777 to have a portrait of himself painted and thousands of dollars for a Nikon camera, Apple laptop and two Kindles that were never turned over to the university.

Dobelle resigned from his $240,920-a-year job as president of the Massachusetts university in November after six years as its leader and has sued the school and state officials alleging that they conspired to destroy his reputation.

Dobelle's lawyer, Ross Garber, said his client has not had an opportunity to review the report. But Garber said in an email it is "time to stop the effort to tarnish" Dobelle's reputation and achievements.

The Massachusetts Attorney General has said that their office is also investigating Dobelle's spending and statements to the university justifying his spending.

The 57-page report said Dobelle's most intensive use of university credit cards for personal charges happened after he nearly maxed out his personal credit limits.

In 2008, Dobelle opened three personal credit card accounts and by December all three cards were at or near their credit limits. Five Dobelle credit cards reviewed by state inspector had a total balance due of more than $47,000.

The following month, Dobelle charged nearly $7,600 on his university credit card. Between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2010, Dobelle made nearly $59,000 in personal charges on his university cards, the report said.

Dobelle had also maxed out a $66,700 home equity line of credit on his house in Pittsfield, Mass. The report said Dobelle opened the home equity credit line line in March 2009 and had drawn down all but $435 by July 2009.Dobelle self-identified $85,000 in personal charge and the state inspector found tens of thousands of dollars in additional personal purchases and that he collected thousands of dollars worth of airline and hotel points and miles in his personal rewards accounts from university travel.

Over six years, Dobelle self-identified $85,000 in personal charges on his university credit cards. The state inspector found tens of thousands of dollars in additional personal purchases and found that Dobelle collected thousands of dollars worth of airline and hotel points and miles in his personal rewards accounts from university travel.

The report said Dobelle's university travel earned him more than 1.6 milion Hilton HHonors points and at least 706,707 Hyatt Gold Passport points, which he redeemed for personal use, rather than saving the university on travel expenses.

Use of the university's credit card also allowed Dobelle to avoid paying "significant interest and finance charges on his personal credit cards, amounting to "free loans," the report said. The inspector said Dobelle's interest payments on five personal credit cards amounted to an average of $800 a month.

The report said Dobelle "engaged in improper and irresponsible conduct" in connection with a university trip to Cuba in 2013, "putting WSU's reputation and standing at risk." The state inspector said Dobelle invited people who were not eligible to travel to Cuba under U.S. Treasure Department's academic exemption and instructed some of the ineligible travelers, including family members, to make the false statements that they were adjunct faculty and assistant coaches.

"Dobelle engaged in similar spending practices, such as frequent travel to San Francisco and reporting both personal expenses and social meetings as having a business purpose, at his prior positions as president of the University of Hawaii and president of the New England Board of Higher Education," the state inspector said.

Dobelle was allowed to resign as president of the UH system in 2004 after the Board of Regents unanimously voted to fire him amid charges of lavish spending, dishonesty and wasting university resource's.

Dobelle said he was a victim of a vendetta by then-Gov. Linda Lingle, and he fought back with lawyers and a Los Angeles public relations firm.

He threatened to sue for wrongful termination and UH negotiated a settlement that included a $1.3 million payment to Dobelle and his attorneys to buy out the remainder of his contract.

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kispestwrote:

I'm soooooooooooo surprised! Once a crook always a crook...

on July 31,2014 | 11:17AM

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busterbwrote:

Wait we talking Dobelle or Herman Frazier? Or both?

on July 31,2014 | 12:38PM

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1localwrote:

Hawaii government would rather give away tax payer money than enforce the laws.

on July 31,2014 | 08:03PM

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joseph007wrote:

This guy has a problem. Maybe drugs or gambling. He spends money like water off his back. Thank the Mass. university system to kick him out. The UH gave him hundreds of thousands to leave. Spineless jerks at UH and still doing the same.

on August 1,2014 | 07:39AM

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justmyview371wrote:

If they had done any due diligence on his appointment, they would have realized this was one of the risks based on his past activities. This is just one big club where administrators move around freely with compensation always increasing.

on July 31,2014 | 11:26AM

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al_kiqaedawrote:

They are wishing they did!
http://www.commonwealthmagazine.org/The-Download/547-Did-anyone-even-Google-Evan-Dobelle.aspx

on July 31,2014 | 01:34PM

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HD36wrote:

He joined that club in 1958 when he had his Bar Mitzvah.

on July 31,2014 | 07:52PM

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Skylerwrote:

Pilau post.

on July 31,2014 | 09:39PM

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HanabataDayswrote:

The fish always rots from the head down.

on July 31,2014 | 11:28AM

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Manoahillsidewrote:

The Board of Regents is 0 for 3 on their picks for President and Chancellor. The football team has a better record! GO BOWS!!!!

on July 31,2014 | 11:32AM

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justmyview371wrote:

Great piece of sarcasm! UH Football's 2013 record was 1-11, good for last place in the West Division.

on July 31,2014 | 12:17PM

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HD36wrote:

Maybe they should stop picking Jews.

on July 31,2014 | 07:52PM

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Skylerwrote:

PIlau post.

on July 31,2014 | 09:39PM

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rickbwrote:

What has that got to do with it, other than your apparent bigotry and racism.

on August 1,2014 | 12:55PM

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falsewrote:

Must say, UH has history of picking these types of "winners".

on July 31,2014 | 11:34AM

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AhiPokewrote:

A close look will tell you that highly qualified people would not even apply. An even closer look will further show you that the UH is controlled by our state legislature who exert significant influence on who they hire.

on July 31,2014 | 01:31PM

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falsewrote:

We should shed light on legislators who recommended him and also who was the person of influence who picked "Chow Time" for our Football Guru, time to chase championships - LOL.

on July 31,2014 | 02:18PM

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Oahuanwrote:

He learned well coming from UH.

on July 31,2014 | 11:42AM

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alohabrinawrote:

DIRTY REPORTING. HATE TO SAY IT BUT IS THAT ALL YOU GOT FOR NEWS

on July 31,2014 | 12:19PM

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GONEGOLFINwrote:

It's not the reporting that is dirty. It's the dirt that is being reported.

on July 31,2014 | 12:34PM

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Senior_Researcherwrote:

This guy took a page from Neil Abercrombie's book: being the "usual suspects," we are dismissed as silly little whiners who don't understand the grandeur of their delusional visions!

on July 31,2014 | 12:38PM

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JimLoomiswrote:

Oh, please … a cheap shot!

on July 31,2014 | 01:09PM

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beachbum11wrote:

But true

on July 31,2014 | 02:33PM

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Hodadwrote:

very true. I am still waiting for Abercrombie to get rid of homelessness in Hawaii in 90 days.

on July 31,2014 | 03:15PM

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SueHwrote:

lol!!

on July 31,2014 | 06:46PM

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ryan02wrote:

And yet, when UH spend millions of dollars of public money to send friends and family members to the Sugar Bowl, nothing came of it. The State Ethics Director at the time, Dan Mollway, who's wife is a judge (meaning I think they are politically-connected) didn't see anything wrong with the politically-connected people at UH spending public money to send family members to the Sugar Bowl. And we keep putting the same people back in office. The people of Hawaii deserve what they get - high taxes, wasteful government spending, and lousy education for our kids.

on July 31,2014 | 12:42PM

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DanMollwaywrote:

Re ryan02, for the benefit of readers, I am not married to any judge, and the judge ryan02 speaks of has more integrity than anyone I have ever met.

on July 31,2014 | 02:31PM

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DanMollwaywrote:

ryan02: Since you are basically alleging corruption (which I think is a worthy topic here in Hawaii), I think the readers of this paper should know (if they don't) that comments made in the past to articles in this paper are searchable on this website. As for the issue of being "politically connected" (i.e., corrupt, it seems you say) that you raise in your comment above, you, in the recent past, in your comments to this paper's news articles, supported whole-heartedly the decisions of the Hawaii District Federal Court, federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and our federal U.S. Supreme Court in their decisions in the recent reapportionment case, Kostick v. Nago. The case was initially decided here by a panel of three federal judges, Seabright, Kobayashi, and McKeown (from the Ninth Circuit). Since you whole-heartedly supported the work of all of these judges on three different federal courts, I would be interested to know your method for determining who is apparently corrupt in your mind based on "political connections", and/or political connections you suggest based on a judge's spouse's job. Any light you could shed on this would be appreciated. I'd hate to think you make your comments in a willy-nilly fashion. In a previous comment you asked if someone had read the federal district court's decision in the Kostick v. Nago case, so it seems you are not exactly a stranger as to our federal judges and the work they do.

on July 31,2014 | 04:15PM

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csdhawaiiwrote:

Oh, snap!

on July 31,2014 | 04:56PM

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Skylerwrote:

Busted!

on July 31,2014 | 09:41PM

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justcheckingwrote:

i wonder if ryan02 will be commenting anymore this evening

on July 31,2014 | 10:17PM

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MillionMonkeyswrote:

We owe the state of Massachusetts an apology. We made Dobelle think it's supposed to be easy to rip off an entire state and its biggest institution of higher learning. Yep, we're easy. Let's see if MA has any better luck disposing of this pathological con artist. Yep, we're easy.

on July 31,2014 | 12:54PM

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JimLoomiswrote:

I guess the Massachusetts officials don't read Honolulu newspapers. It was all there, fellas! I wonder if Dobelle's lawsuit will make that an issue; i.e.: "You should have known I was a crook."

on July 31,2014 | 01:08PM

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Iukiwrote:

He didn't learn this behavior at U.H. It is his nature. He got away with it here, but apparently not in Massachusetts. He is an individual who truly believes he is such a gift to the universe that he deserves whatever he can take from wherever he can find people to employ him.

on July 31,2014 | 01:40PM

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csdhawaiiwrote:

A true narcissist. What the heck is he spending his money on? Why'd he rack up all those credit card bills when he got over $1 million in (I'm assuming) a lump sum settlement from UH?

on July 31,2014 | 05:05PM

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Uncleart66wrote:

Knew how to win at football......

on July 31,2014 | 02:17PM

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eastside808wrote:

At least UM had enough b _ _ _ s to stick it to Dobelle. UH on the other hand chose to negotiate a settlement, when Dobelle was basically a liar and a cheat.

on July 31,2014 | 02:54PM

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csdhawaiiwrote:

Yeah, can we sue him now to recover?

on July 31,2014 | 05:05PM

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Hodadwrote:

I think this crook might actually serve time for his stealing. Hawaii regents should have fired him for cause and let his shyster Rick Fried attempt to win him anything. They should never have caved.

on July 31,2014 | 03:13PM

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samidunnwrote:

Good Ole Doby

on July 31,2014 | 03:20PM

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residenttaxpayerwrote:

Hopefully the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will find something to prosecute Dobelle on and send him to prison.......

on July 31,2014 | 03:24PM

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fstopwrote:

Garber said in an email it is "time to stop the effort to tarnish" Dobelle's reputation and achievements.

I haven't had this big of a laugh in a long time!

on July 31,2014 | 03:49PM

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iwanaknowwrote:

so his hand was caught in the cookie jar................he will come out of this smelling like a rose..................his money will buy him no jail time.............that's what Lawyers and PR are for ya?

on July 31,2014 | 03:56PM

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Letsplay2wrote:

This behavior seems to be normal for Dobelle to spend money lavishly and foolishly without no regards. It seems as though his last two jobs he spent money lavishly and now at this current job he has done the same thing again..
Once a thief always a thief...

on July 31,2014 | 04:23PM

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McB0Bwrote:

Putting someone who cannot manage his own life in charge of preparing anyone else for theirs strikes me as a clear indication that the trustees aren't doing the job entrusted to them, which means they are the problem and he is merely a symptom.

on July 31,2014 | 04:30PM

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atilterwrote:

good call!

on August 1,2014 | 12:58AM

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bullturdwrote:

Mr. Dumbell er-uh Dobelle is finally going to bite the dust. When he first came here he sounded like a missionary that he would be the savior of our small minded no common sense leaders/Regents and our UH. He told them to look up for the future and when they looked back down he was gone (but not forgotten) with our tax payers money and the Board of Regents Still! have not learned from that experience. Go Figgah.

on July 31,2014 | 07:01PM

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HD36wrote:

Leave it to a member of the chosen people from the Middle East to legally work the system and then threaten to sue UH and get another $1.3 million. The Bernie Madoff of government fleecing is in good company with Federal Reserve chairpersons, Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen. The amazing thing is he, along with the bankers have worked the fine lines of the law and made out like bandits.

on July 31,2014 | 08:00PM

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csdhawaiiwrote:

Inflammatory and racist! SA, where's your moderator?

on July 31,2014 | 11:00PM

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rickbwrote:

This man has a gambling or drug problem, or both. Where does the money go?
He should be in prison, off the streets to do no harm. It appears that he stalks hapless suckers (like UH). How he contInues to get jobs is the amazing thing. Doesn't anyone do background checks? I suppose UH gave him a rosy review to avoid slander lawsuits. But it's not slander if it's true. This whole thing galls me since I know how slime leaks through into high level, overpaid positions and how much OP money is spent this way.